'Verdict should reflect abhorrence for predators': Man gets 5-yr jail term for raping minor

New Delhi, May 9 (PTI) A Delhi court has sentenced a man to five years of rigorous imprisonment for sexually assaulting a six-year-old minor in 2016 and said society’s abhorrence for sexual predators targeting children should reflect in verdicts.

Additional Sessions Judge Manoj Kumar was hearing the arguments on the quantum of sentence against the 27-year-old man who was convicted under Section 10 (aggravated sexual assault) of the Protection of Children against Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

Additional public prosecutor Vikas Singh said the convict did not deserve any leniency but a severe punishment to send a strong message in society.

In an order dated March 20, made available recently, the court said, "The alarming rise in offences against children and the society’s cry for justice for such children has led to formulation of the POCSO Act. Therefore, the abhorrence which society as a whole has towards sexual predators targeting children, also should find reflection in the judgments of the courts." The court also awarded Rs 3 lakh compensation to the minor survivor and said, "The purpose of criminal justice system is not only to attain catharsis by handing down proportional punishment to the offender but also to rehabilitate the victim, who is scarred physically and mentally, forever." PTI MNR MNR AMK AMK